Hello ! Total newbie

[akLinus]

Hi,

I am new to the board, new do Disney World and actually have never been to Florida. So there is a lot to learn. Glad I found this forum - Now where do I start ? Are there any FAQs ?

Thanks!

 

[magicaldisney]

 

[akLinus]

I have been reading and I am totally confused about where to stay. Vacation homes do seem so good ... with comparable rates, why would anyone want to stay in hotels ?
Is there any one preferable over the other ?

 

[Metro West]

 

[defendthehill]

I have been reading and I am totally confused about where to stay. Vacation homes do seem so good ... with comparable rates, why would anyone want to stay in hotels ?
Is there any one preferable over the other ?

Welcome to the boards. You will find tons of information if you surf the different threads in here. I just got back from my families first trip to Disney. We decided to stay on property and absolutely loved it. I believe there are huge benefits to staying on property. One drawback may be that you can do it a bit cheaper off property though. You will probably end up with more "things" to do. Drive, park, fight the crowds more, etc. but you can read all about that on these boards.

Have fun and don't be afraid to ask any questions. People on here are great about giving advice!

 

[Disneydonnam]

welcome

 

[mickeystoontown]

Welcome aboard! We used to stay offsite for many many years and we had a really good time. But, we stayed onsite for the first time four years ago and I'll never go back to offsite again. (unless that is the absolute only way I could go to Disney)

If you stay onsite:

1) If you fly, Disney will pick you and your bags up from the airport and take you directly to your resort;

2) If you drive to Florida, you can simply park your car in the resort parking lot and let Disney drive you anywhere on Disney property. Free of charge. No hassling with traffic and no gas expense. If you do decide to drive your car to the theme parks, there is no parking charge.

3) You are entitled to extra hours in the theme parks on certain days. The morning hours are 1 hour prior to official opening for offsite guests and the evening hours are sometimes up to three hours after park closing for offsite guests.

4) You can also purchase the dining plan and have all of your meals paid for before you ever even get to Disney.

If you stay offsite:

1) If you fly in, you'll have to take a car service or taxi to get to your rental home;

2) If you drive your own car and drive to the theme parks, you have to pay a fee to park. I think it's now about $12.00 a day;

3) You don't have extra hours privileges;

4) You'll have to pay out of pocket for all of your meals which can add up very quickly.

When were you thinking of traveling? Have you checked out all of the Disney resorts?

 

[akLinus]

My dates are a bit flexible. I was thinking of mid-July.
Because it was not easy to get leave from work, (but finally managed to get it ), I couldn't plan early. So I was thinking maybe it is not possible to get a resort accomodation for reasonable rate. I came across the vacation homes and saw many were available. Since this is first time for me to DW (I have been to DisneyLand several times), I came across the vacation home idea for the first time. So I was wondering it does seem like a good idea as it might be difficult to get on-site at such a short notice.

 

[Mickey1Fan]

You might want to check out the area of Theme Parks Attrations and Strategies.

There is so much information there you will have lots of fun!

Good luck.

 

[Aliceacc]

OK, knowing nothing about you (like your resort preferences or who is in your party) I just went to the reservations site to play. Assuming that budget is a concern, I got this:

Travel Dates
Check In
July 11, 2009
Check Out
July 18, 2009

________________________________________
Travel Party
2 Adults
2 Children (Ages 6 & 11)
Dining and Entertainment Choice
Magic Your Way Package
Park Ticket Choice
8 Day Magic Your Way Ticket
Park Hopper® Option
Resort Choice
Disney's Pop Century Resort $2215.30

Resort Choice
Disney's All-Star Music Resort—Family suite $3305.68


***********************************************

I didn't even try moderate or Deluxe resorts, but I'm guessing you can stay on site if you want.